The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-01-06
THE OHIO HORROR.
Additional Narratives Of the caIam-
ity at Tiffin.
Terrible Death Of M. II. Parks OF
Washington.

CHICAGO, Jan. 5.-Among the survivors
OF the wreck ON the Baltimore and Ohio who
arrived here this morning, Harry Forester
was the most severely injured. To report
er he said 81 can't tell you much about the
way the thing happened. II was quick as a
fash, and how l got through the millions of
splinters and falling timbers is mystery.
When got up the cars were ON fire, and |
could hear the people all crying out in ago
nized tones for help. was somewhat dazed
but these cries brought me to realization of
the calamity. The sights were terrible.
There seemed to be wounded people every
where, and all were crying for aid. | was
covered with blood from the wounds on my
head and could not do much to assist. The
groans of those in the burning cars were aw-
full. / was near the express messenger, who
was killed, and the baggageman, Gates, who
had all the flesh nearly torn off his legs
There were only four Of us, out of eighteen,
who got out of the smoking car"
Prof. Francis Kendall of Crete, Neb,
says: Il was sitting in the first class coach,
which was coupled just in the rear Of the
smoking car and ahead Of the two sleepers.
Our first intImation Of danger was the sharp
application of the brakes and the reversing
Of the engine with such suddenness that we
were thrown forward in our seats. Then
came deafening crash in front Of us and
our car was shaken up as If by an earthquake
All the glass in the windows was broken.
We were thrown all over the car. The bag
gage and smoking cars were one pile OF kind
ling wood, and had already caught
fire., We tried to aid those at work on
the burning cars, but the heat was so intense
that we were driven back. There were sew
eral persons to be seen in the flames, but
they were beyond human help. Some of
them were alive and their cries could be
heard We then ran forward TO the engine.
Here we found the fireman jammed in be-
tween the boiler head and water tank. With
axes, saws and timbers we worked for near
ly an hour to release him, but without sue
I cess. He was caught by the lower limbs,
tered hardly word, though conscious till
the last The statements made concerning
the cause Of the disaster by the crew of the
freight train were very conflicting. The
general excuse given was that they thought
there was time to reach Republic before the
express arrived. They knew they were run
ming on the time of the express, but Tifin
and Republic are but five miles apart. They
did not agree as to whether the freight was
standing still or moving. A brakeman said
OF the crew said IL was standing still, having
become stalled. There was probably about
sixty people on the train, and about thirty
OF them came to Chicago on the train with
me, III was the most slckening and horrible
sight that man ever saw"
Several other passengers tell substantially
the same stories. All unite in saying that
the death Of NJ. II. Parks, who is supposed
TO have been connected with the Bureau Of
Labor Statistics at Washington, was un-
doubtedly the saddest and most heartrend-
ing of the whole wreck. When the crash
came he was riding in the smoker; he sue
ceeded in getting the upper half Of his body
out OF the coach window, when his legs
the car, and there he was burned to death
before the eyes of those outside, who could
do nothing for him. II shall never forget
1t, said one Of the survivors, "as the flames
were creeping closer and closer to him, and
he came to the conclusion that he was
doomed to the most horrible of deaths, he
pitched his pocket-book to us and gave us
the address Of his mother in Washington.
After that the flames closed around him and
we did not see him again"